Autumn vegetable soup

Have I mentioned before how much I love soup?  It's the best.  Soup can easily be both healthy and delicious, this recipe is both.  This recipe in particular is great because you can make it from fresh produce, cans, or frozen.  Or a combination.  It honestly doesn't even matter.  It will still be delicious.

Start by dicing two shallots in some olive oil.

Sorry about you having to look at the horribly awful pot by the way.

These are your main ingredients.  Notice I'm using a mixture of fresh produce (pumpkin and potatoes), prepackaged (thyme and chicken broth), and frozen (parsnip grated and frozen from earlier).  Obviously the wine is prepackaged too.  Me making wine would no doubt be really gross.

Canned pumpkin works just fine, but if you want to use fresh pumpkin use an entire small pumpkin.  These will about equal a can of pumpkin puree.  Use a vegetable peeler to peel the skin off, quarter, and scoop out the goop with an ice cream scoop.  This is actually quick, easy work.

When the pumpkin is prepped, cut up into chunks and toss into the pot with the shallots, which should be very fragrant.

Toss in the parsnips and potato chunks and stir to combine.

Stir in the thyme, white wine, and chicken broth.  Stir occasionally.  Keep the soup on medium heat until the vegetables are very fork tender.  Use an immersion blender to puree.

Add in salt, pepper, and brown sugar.  Adjust to taste.  When the soup has thickened a little more, take it off heat and mix in the milk.  Serve immediately.

I love having this soup simmering on the stove on cold days.  The veggies and milk make it filling, it smells like Autumn, it pairs well with crusty bread and (more) wine, and c'mon, who doesn't love a soup that is sweet, savory, creamy, and healthy all in one bowl?

Autumn Vegetable Soup
serves 4

ingredients:
2 shallots, diced
1 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 tsp thyme
2 small yukon gold potatoes
1 parsnip
1 small pumpkin
6 cups chicken broth
3/4 cup white wine
salt and pepper
1 1/2 tbsp brown sugar
1 cup milk

directions:
1.  Dice the shallots and saute in a medium pot with the olive oil on medium heat.
2.  Cut the pumpkin, potatoes, and parsnip into chunks and toss them into the pot.  Stir a bit and let them soften for a few minutes.
3.  Add the thyme, white wine, and chicken broth.  Stir occasionally.  When vegetables are very fork tender use an immersion blender until smooth.
4.  Add salt and pepper to taste, and the brown sugar.  Soup should begin to thicken a bit more.  Take soup off heat and mix the milk in well.